


Paper Hearts

by southsideforever



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:53:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29407227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/southsideforever/pseuds/southsideforever
Summary: “Why you sitting here alone?” Mickey asks the tiny redhead who simply shrugs in response. He looks around realizing the table is covered in construction paper, glue, and glitter.
Relationships: Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich
Comments: 20
Kudos: 225





	Paper Hearts

“Thank fuck,” Mickey mutters under his breath as he comes down the stairs, seeing there’s a fresh pot of coffee despite it being unusually quiet. He’s reaching for a mug when a high pitched, cheerful voice calls out, “Good morning!”

“Jesus Christ, the fu—,” he jumps, stopping himself once he realizes it’s just Franny. Mickey manages not to drop the mug and grabs the pot, his heart rate going back to normal as he fills it to the brim and puts it back. Taking a sip, he walks over to the table. 

“Why you sitting here alone?” Mickey asks the tiny redhead who simply shrugs in response. He looks around realizing the table is covered in construction paper, glue, and glitter. He quietly watches her for a few seconds as she cuts out a crooked heart from a piece of red paper. “You supposed to be using those by yourself?” he questions, nodding towards the scissors in her hand. 

“They’re for _kids_ , Uncle Mickey,” she tells him seriously. 

They fall into a silence that has Mickey awkwardly shifting in his chair. She’s usually more talkative than this and Mickey doesn’t quite know what to do except sit there, absently running his thumb over the edge of the mug. He turns around to look into the living room, making sure he didn’t miss anyone, but no one’s there. 

“So, uh, what’re you making?” he questions, turning back towards his niece. 

Franny doesn’t even look up when she replies, “Valentine’s Day cards.” He smirks as she pours way too much glitter onto the pools of glue lining the edges of the heart. It’s going to be a bitch for whoever cleans that up and it sure as shit isn’t going to be him. He takes another drink.

“Look!” Franny tells him excitedly, holding up the card. Mickey tries not to cringe watching the glitter fall to the table, glue beginning to drip down the edges. 

“Real nice, kid,” he affirms, making her smile. “S’it for your mom?” he adds. Franny nods, putting the card aside and grabbing a fresh piece of pink paper.

“This’s for Sandy,” she tells him, eyebrows furrowed as she focuses on cutting out another crooked little heart. Mickey smiles around the edge of his mug thinking about Franny handing his cousin the homemade card.

Mickey’s torn from his thoughts, head snapping up when he hears Franny gasp, plastic scissors dropping on the wooden table. “What happened? You okay?” he quickly asks. 

“You can make one for Uncle Ian,” she tells him, eyes bright and wide at the thought. 

“Uh, no... I’m good,” he tells her, eyes quickly darting to the side. 

“Uncle Mickey,” she stares at him.

“Franny,” he stares back. 

“Uncle _Mickey_ ,” she tries again. 

“ _Franny_ ,” he counters in the same tone. 

“Uncle Ian would like it!” she huffs out and Mickey hides another smile at her little grumpy face. Instead, he _hmm_ ’s at her. “He would, Uncle Mickey, I know it.” Their staredown continues for a few seconds before he, predictably, cracks. 

“ _Fine_ ,” Mickey sighs. “Show me what to do.” 

Franny beams, bouncing in her chair. “First you have to pick a color.” She pushes the booklet of construction paper his way. He picks it up, flipping through the pages. He can’t believe he’s fucking doing this, but apparently, he can’t argue with redheads that have sad puppy dog eyes. He rips out a piece of black paper.

“Nooo,” Franny whines. “Has to be pink or red.” 

“Lemme do it my way, kid,” he gently tells her, getting a small sigh and nod in return. Mickey reaches for the _kid_ scissors and works on cutting out a heart. He can feel Franny watching his every move from across the table. When he finishes, he holds it up for her approval. 

“Whaddya think?” 

Franny tilts her head to the side in thought, pursing her lips. “You have to put glitter on it.” 

“I don’t wanna get that shit everywhere,” Mickey groans, but once again he’s met with narrowed eyes. “Jesus Christ, fine, gimme the red.” 

A smile quickly creeps over Franny’s face as she enthusiastically hands him the red glitter and glue bottle. Mickey copies Franny’s card, adding a thin outline of glue around the edges of the heart and dumping glitter all over it. He holds it up to shake off the excess not giving a single shit that he’s adding to the mess. 

“Now you have to tell Uncle Ian you love him,” the tiny ginger instructs. 

Mickey sighs again but reaches out for a white crayon. He rolls the crayon between his tattooed fingers, hesitating above the paper, and bites his lip—what the fuck does he write? He’s never made a valentine before and he has no fucking clue what to say. He loves Ian, loves him more than anything, but how does he convey that on a little piece of construction paper?

Looking up, Mickey realizes that Franny’s no longer watching him. She’s turned back to her own project drawing a little rainbow and adding stickers, humming a song he doesn’t recognize. He ends up watching her for a few minutes. At some point, she looks up, asking him how to spell Sandy and he tells her through a smile. 

Mickey swishes his lukewarm coffee around the mug wracking his brain for ideas. He bites on the side of his lip. Fuck it. He presses the crayon to paper and writes out a simple note. 

Just as he finishes, he hears the front door opening and closing. Mickey immediately begins to blush as Ian rounds the corner and crosses the living room, his smile growing wider and wider the closer he gets. 

“What’re you guys up to?” Ian asks with a toothy grin knowing damn well what they’re doing. 

“Me and Uncle Mickey are making valentines,” Franny beams, holding up the card she just finished. “Look!” 

“Wow, that’s awesome, Fran,” Ian smiles at her. “You did a great job.” 

“Uncle Mickey made you a valentines too!” she sings out, which makes Mickey groan, fingers sliding across his eyes to meet at the bridge of his nose. 

“He _did_?” Ian pretends to be shocked, Franny letting out a _yup_ in her high pitched voice. 

Ian tries to lean over Mickey’s shoulder to see what’s on the table in front of him, but a hand quickly covers it and another pushes him back. “Fuck off, Gallagher.” 

“C’mon,” Ian laughs. “It’s _my_ valentine, you have to show me.”

“I don’t have to show you shit,” Mickey grumbles. 

“ _Mick_ ,” Ian coos as he moves in closer, wrapping his arms around Mickey’s shoulders, hands meeting over his sternum. The redhead playfully nudges at Mickey’s head before he moves down and places a quick chaste kiss on the side of his neck. “C’mon, lemme see it,” he murmurs into Mickey’s ear. 

Mickey rolls his eyes, moving his hand away. He can feel Ian smile against the side of his face before he places a kiss against his temple. 

“I fucking love you, too,” Ian whispers. 

**Author's Note:**

> This was intended to be a brief headcanon post on [Tumblr](https://southside-forever.tumblr.com/) but turned into more so I thought I would post it here. It's simple, fluffy, and gives into two of my greatest weaknesses: soft Gallavich and Uncle Mickey. 
> 
> My best friend made really cute art for this...
> 
> xx Rhys


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